Latest news with #ChinatownFestival
The Province
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Province
‘It's getting better': Vancouver's Chinatown festival brings crowds and hope for the future
The two-day event brings hundreds to one of the city's oldest neighbourhoods for cultural performances, martial arts demonstrations, food trucks and market stalls The annual Chinatown festival includes a variety of entertainment. Photo by Jason Payne / PNG Yellow and white dragon dancers snaked out of the Chinese Cultural Centre at noon Saturday, the clash of cymbals and pounding drums kicking off Vancouver's 23rd annual Chinatown Festival. The two-day event, organized by the Vancouver Chinatown Business Improvement Association, brought hundreds to Keefer and Columbia Streets in one of the city's oldest neighbourhoods for cultural performances, martial arts demonstrations, food trucks and market stalls. For Robert Sung, a third-generation Chinese Canadian raised in Chinatown, the festival is a celebration of his community's rich heritage — rooted in the settling of Chinese labourers in the 1880s — and a hopeful step toward revitalizing the neighbourhood's future. 'I remember as a kid, my mom would take me down to the butcher to get a little barbecued pork, and the butcher would cut off a small piece for me to eat right there,' Sung said. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles by top sports columnists Patrick Johnston, Ben Kuzma, J.J. Abrams and others. Plus, Canucks Report, Sports and Headline News newsletters and events. Unlimited online access to The Province and 15 news sites with one account. The Province ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles and comics, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles by top sports columnists Patrick Johnston, Ben Kuzma, J.J. Abrams and others. Plus, Canucks Report, Sports and Headline News newsletters and events. Unlimited online access to The Province and 15 news sites with one account. The Province ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles and comics, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors BMO sponsored the annual Vancouver Chinatown festival, running today and Sunday on Keefer and Columbia streets. Photo by Jason Payne / PNG Keefer and Columbia streets were closed to traffic for the annual Chinatown festival this weekend. Photo by Jason Payne / PNG Photo by Jason Payne / PNG People check out the food trucks at the Vancouver Chinatown festival, which runs today and Sunday, July 13. Photo by Jason Payne / PNG The annual Chinatown festival includes a variety of entertainment. Photo by Jason Payne / PNG Expect to see lots of entertainment at the Vancouver Chinatown festival this weekend. Photo by Jason Payne / PNG People were in Vancouver Saturday to check out the annual Chinatown festival. Photo by Jason Payne / PNG Full Screen is not supported on this browser version. You may use a different browser or device to view this in full screen. Today, he leads guided tours through Chinatown, offering visitors those traditional tastes while sharing stories that highlight the neighbourhood's enduring spirit amid increasing gentrification and redevelopment. 'Because of this neighbourhood's proximity to downtown, there's always a fear that highrises will come in and displace longtime residents,' Sung explained. As a member of the Vancouver Chinatown Revitalization Committee, he supports city hall's bid to pursue UNESCO World Heritage designation, which could protect the neighbourhood's heritage and prevent further displacement. 'This neighbourhood also faces challenges of being next to the Downtown Eastside,' he said, noting that issues such as homelessness and addiction put additional pressure on residents and businesses. Essential reading for hockey fans who eat, sleep, Canucks, repeat. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Compounding the challenges is the increase in anti-Asian crimes. Between 2019 and 2021, Vancouver police recorded one of the highest spikes in anti-Asian hate crimes in North America, many of them occurring in or near Chinatown. Businesses have been vandalized, elders harassed in broad daylight, and volunteers mobilized to walk seniors safely to and from errands. Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim addressed the crowd shortly after the festival's opening, citing a successful turnaround for the neighbourhood. 'When the ABC Party was elected, we said Chinatown would be a priority,' said Sim, who added that increased police presence over the past two years has helped improve safety. 'Chinatown feels like it's getting better and better.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Sim's administration has launched a $2.16 million investment focused on sanitation, graffiti removal and beautification. And city council designated the area as a cultural district to support economic development while preserving heritage. Over $1.6 million in cultural grants have been allocated to local programs, including heritage building upgrades through the Chinese Society Legacy Program. While Sim credits police patrols and city spending for better safety, some say community-led efforts play a vital role. Amanda Burrows, who has lived in Chinatown for nine years and leads the nearby non-profit First United, said the neighbourhood has changed little beyond businesses reopening after the pandemic and a renewed sense of local pride. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'It's always been such a vibrant place.' Burrows credited community leaders, including Carol Lee, and non-profits for contributing to the neighbourhood. She said one milestone is the 2021 local opening of the Chinatown Storytelling Centre, Canada's first permanent exhibit dedicated to the stories and contributions of Chinese Canadians, by the Vancouver Chinatown Foundation. 'The efforts to support this neighbourhood have largely come from within the community,' Burrows said. This weekend's family-friendly Chinatown Festival runs Saturday and Sunday from noon to 6 p.m. at Keefer and Columbia streets. sgrochowski@ Read More
CTV News
3 days ago
- CTV News
Event organizers of Vancouver Chinatown Festival say security is their top priority
A Vancouver Police officer stands on a street leading to the site where a car drove through a crowd at a Lapu Lapu festival killing multiple people in Vancouver, Monday April 28, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Rich Lam VANCOUVER — Organizers of the Vancouver Chinatown Festival say security is their top priority in the wake of the Lapu Lapu festival tragedy that killed 11 and injured dozens more in April. Joey Kwan, executive director of the Vancouver Chinatown BIA, says enhanced safety measures have been in place as the 23rd festival is underway, drawing hundreds of people to enjoy the musical performances, marching band and children's theatre. She says festival goers can expect to see heavy police presence throughout Vancouver's Chinatown and officers will station six security checkpoints. Blue fences have also been set up at the scene to block vehicles from entering. Kwan says something unexpected may always arise, but event organizers and volunteers are ready to 'deal with the unexpected.' The tragedies of the Lapu Lapu festival are still haunting people, and Vancouver resident Darcy Shoults says seeing tons of police presence at the event scene makes him feel 'quite safe.' Shoults says two years ago he attended the Light Up Chinatown Festival, where a triple stabbing look place and left him devastated. Blair Donnelly was on a day pass from a psychiatric hospital when he stabbed three people in Vancouver's Chinatown in September 2023. Shoults says these attacks do happen, but we can't let them keep getting in the way of stopping us from coming together to show support and celebrate. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 12, 2025.
Vancouver Sun
3 days ago
- General
- Vancouver Sun
‘It's getting better': Vancouver's Chinatown festival brings crowds and hope for the future
Yellow and white dragon dancers snaked out of the Chinese Cultural Centre at noon Saturday, the clash of cymbals and pounding drums kicking off Vancouver's 23rd annual Chinatown Festival. The two-day event, organized by the Vancouver Chinatown Business Improvement Association, brought hundreds to Keefer and Columbia Streets in one of the city's oldest neighbourhoods for cultural performances, martial arts demonstrations, food trucks and market stalls. For Robert Sung, a third-generation Chinese Canadian raised in Chinatown, the festival is a celebration of his community's rich heritage — rooted in the settling of Chinese labourers in the 1880s — and a hopeful step toward revitalizing the neighbourhood's future. 'I remember as a kid, my mom would take me down to the butcher to get a little barbecued pork, and the butcher would cut off a small piece for me to eat right there,' Sung said. 1 of 7 Full Screen is not supported on this browser version. You may use a different browser or device to view this in full screen. Today, he leads guided tours through Chinatown, offering visitors those traditional tastes while sharing stories that highlight the neighbourhood's enduring spirit amid increasing gentrification and redevelopment. Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. 'Because of this neighbourhood's proximity to downtown, there's always a fear that highrises will come in and displace longtime residents,' Sung explained. As a member of the Vancouver Chinatown Revitalization Committee, he supports city hall's bid to pursue UNESCO World Heritage designation, which could protect the neighbourhood's heritage and prevent further displacement. 'This neighbourhood also faces challenges of being next to the Downtown Eastside,' he said, noting that issues such as homelessness and addiction put additional pressure on residents and businesses. Compounding the challenges is the increase in anti-Asian crimes. Between 2019 and 2021, Vancouver police recorded one of the highest spikes in anti-Asian hate crimes in North America, many of them occurring in or near Chinatown. Businesses have been vandalized, elders harassed in broad daylight, and volunteers mobilized to walk seniors safely to and from errands. Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim addressed the crowd shortly after the festival's opening, citing a successful turnaround for the neighbourhood. 'When the ABC Party was elected, we said Chinatown would be a priority,' said Sim, who added that increased police presence over the past two years has helped improve safety. 'Chinatown feels like it's getting better and better.' Sim's administration has launched a $2.16 million investment focused on sanitation, graffiti removal and beautification. And city council designated the area as a cultural district to support economic development while preserving heritage. Over $1.6 million in cultural grants have been allocated to local programs, including heritage building upgrades through the Chinese Society Legacy Program. While Sim credits police patrols and city spending for better safety, some say community-led efforts play a vital role. Amanda Burrows, who has lived in Chinatown for nine years and leads the nearby non-profit First United, said the neighbourhood has changed little beyond businesses reopening after the pandemic and a renewed sense of local pride. 'It's always been such a vibrant place.' Burrows credited community leaders, including Carol Lee , and non-profits for contributing to the neighbourhood. She said one milestone is the 2021 local opening of the Chinatown Storytelling Centre, Canada's first permanent exhibit dedicated to the stories and contributions of Chinese Canadians, by the Vancouver Chinatown Foundation. 'The efforts to support this neighbourhood have largely come from within the community,' Burrows said. This weekend's family-friendly Chinatown Festival runs Saturday and Sunday from noon to 6 p.m. at Keefer and Columbia streets. sgrochowski@
National Observer
6 days ago
- Politics
- National Observer
Report says BC events should get risk review, in wake of festival tragedy
Terry Yung says that when he attends Vancouver's Chinatown Festival this weekend, he'll enjoy himself knowing that the work has been done to make him and other attendees feel safe. British Columbia's minister of state for community safety said pursuing that sense of security was "the foundation" of a report he released Wednesday making six recommendations on improving safety for community events in the wake of the April 26 attack on Vancouver's Lapu Lapu Day festival, that killed 11 people and injured dozens more. Yung said the point of the report was "not to look at one moment in time in the past which we cannot change." "I can't speculate what could or could have happened but what we can do in future to make us all safer," he said. The report by former BC Supreme Court chief justice Christopher Hinkson recommends that all public events, regardless of size, should be supported by a risk assessment, and that a provincial events hub be developed for sharing information and advice. It also recommends inter-agency co-ordination and more accessible education and planning resources. Hinkson was appointed in the days after the festival attack by Premier David Eby to "maximize safety," while remembering that people still wanted to be able to get together and celebrate. Yung said the government fully accepted the intent of the recommendations, but didn't say when they would be implemented. "We'll move on this as fast as we can," he said. "It's important to understand, in light of the tragic event, and (it's) easy to be overwhelmed by emotions … the report said the vast majority of public events in this province are safe, they're well organized and they're widely enjoyed." While some events have access to professional support, the report says many celebrations rely on volunteers with little training or funding, and rather than impose rigid rules, the report says steps need to be taken for consistency and confidence in hosting gatherings. Adam Kai-Ji Lo has been charged with multiple counts of second-degree murder over the Lapu Lapu festival attack, in which a vehicle sped through a crowded street, and his next court appearance for a fitness hearing is on July 23. The City of Vancouver and police issued a preliminary report in May, saying planning for the festival appeared to have followed prescribed processes despite not having heavy vehicle barriers in place. It said police did not recommend higher security and the 2024 festival was deemed a low risk, while police had said previously that only nine of the 3,200 events in Vancouver used heavy vehicle barriers. Hinkson's report says Vancouver and Surrey have developed sophisticated permitting for special events, alongside comprehensive planning protocols. "While this system is more elaborate than what might be required in smaller or rural communities, it may offer valuable considerations for other jurisdictions seeking to improve their event safety planning." Hinkson's report says hostile vehicle attacks aren't the only risk, noting safety concerns over food and water adulteration, and pointing to a music festival in France where 145 people reported being pricked by syringes in January. The report says there's "a trade-off between ensuring that event attendees are protected from hostile or unintentional vehicle incidents while at the same time allowing special events to continue unabated.' In the report, Hinkson says he consulted with municipalities, regional districts, Indigenous groups, police, and event organizers, representing a wide range of communities — from large urban centres to remote rural regions. The report says their consultations found both strengths and vulnerabilities. "Many communities have built strong working relationships between local governments, first responders, and community organizations to support safe and successful events," the report says. However, smaller or under-resourced jurisdictions face persistent challenges, including limited staff, rising costs for equipment and security, unclear lines of responsibility, and difficulty navigating overlapping jurisdictions or fragmented guidance, it says. The Union of BC Municipalities said in a statement in June that it provided a submission to the commission asking it to avoid a one-size-fits all framework, since many local governments, especially the smaller ones, struggled with numerous responsibilities and costs could force event cancellations. Here is a summary for the six recommendations: Risk assessments and event planning: All public events in British Columbia, regardless of size, should be supported by a risk assessment. A comprehensive risk assessment should consider the event's scale, location, activities, and potential hazards, including risks to specific groups and environmental factors. Clarifying jurisdictional roles in event oversight: The province should establish clear criteria for consultation that defines the roles and responsibilities of all parties involved in event planning, approval, and emergency response. Training for planning support and centralized hub: The province should establish a centralized hub to support event safety across British Columbia. The hub would provide accessible, standardized advice, training, and practical tools for event organizers, municipal officials, and others involved in planning public gatherings. Support for event delivery and local capacity: Consultations made clear that rising safety and security costs are one of the most significant barriers to hosting community events. For many organizers, particularly in smaller or under-resourced communities, the costs threaten the viability of their events. The province should consider expanding availability of grants or financial support to offset safety and security costs. Foster local collaboration on event safety: Event organizers in smaller communities would benefit from more focused collaboration with emergency services. Consultation during the planning phase can improve readiness and build trust between interested partners. The province should encourage regular tabletop exercises including police, fire departments, emergency management services, and event organizers. Promote learning through event evaluation: The province should encourage the routine use of after-action reports and collection of public feedback after events. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 9, 2025.
CTV News
30-05-2025
- Entertainment
- CTV News
Ottawa Asian night markets kick off for the weekend
Two popular events are taking place this weekend as Ottawa's festival season gets into full swing. CTV's Natalie van Rooy reports. It's the kick-off of festival season in the nation's capital. Every year, thousands of people attend two popular Asian night markets and both are now underway. One is taking place in Chinatown on Somerset Street West between Bronson Avenue and Bell Street, the other at Tanger Outlets in Kanata. The crowds were building this afternoon, and you could sense the community connection as people were happy to share food and learn more about traditional cultures. Spirits were high at the Chinatown location, where three generations of the Munro family took it all in. 'We're originally Chinese and my mom is actually from China,' said Victor Munro, who was at the market with his son and mother. 'Part of being here is actually just to show my son the cultural heritage, where he comes from originally.' 'We want to show that little kid it's really fun and especially with the food, you know, that I don't know how to make it myself,' said Susanna Munro. Dozens of vendors were set up along the street market, which is open until 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. 'The Chinatown festival is just a wonderful place for us to really showcase all of our different cuisines and our different creations that we create every year,' said Julia Park, who had several vendors set up at the market with different types of food. The market highlights all types of cuisine, including unique dishes on the grill or fresh juices and teas. 'This is Yaki onigiri,' said Park. 'They're creating fresh sort of Japanese inspired rice balls in a triangle shape and then they grill it with like a butter miso glaze.' Onigiri Making Japanese inspired rice balls at the Ottawa Chinatown Night Market. (Natalie van Rooy/CTV News Ottawa) There was plenty to pick from at the market, which represents several Asian countries. 'It's a great combination of Asian fusion, including Japanese, Korean, Chinese influences,' said Munro. The event also includes art pieces and handmade goods, with the chance to create something special yourself. 'It's basically a Chinese cultural heritage, which you pick a fan and then dip colors into water and dip the dan into the water to create art,' said Chuqiao Zhou, who was running a booth called Lac Lab where people can paint handheld fans. Fanmaking At the Lac Lab booth, people can paint handheld fans. (Natalie van Rooy/CTV News Ottawa) The market is free to attend, and it runs all weekend until Sunday night. It's also important to note that the event is only accessible by foot and attendees will have to take transit or park offsite.
